The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1887-03-31

j wish j didn't have to do that
Cause 4 II grow out of Office bimeby.
The ninuy boys 10 home
Are Jealous of me,
An cali me duod
bat J can lick en-;
You jess better blecvei
J ain'i 'fraid Of nobody.
Not even tho President,
lies bigger N me,
bui j an young yet
I'm thoroughbred
Ina a full team
An "a hoss 10 let
An dog under the waggen.
Mhoopl
Hoorayl Maurice Perkins.
FEMALE CLERKS.
Z" II is a mistaken idea" said Treasury Off
cial the other day to a Capital reporter " that
the female employees of this Department do no
work, but just come here and idle their time
away from to in gossipng."
do you consider them as good clerks as
men2n
In great number of instances better As
rule they are well educated refined ladies,
who have been compelled through misfortune
20 earn their living In many cases, too. they
have TO support on very small salary two or
three younger brothers and sisters and mother.
OF course there are certain kinds of work that
men can perform better than women, and vice
versa; there is work that they can do a good
deal better than men, and when they do the
same work and do il as well they don't get
much more than half the salary"
How is that?"
"Ohi they are put on copyists' rolls, while
they do the most intricate kind of clerical
work. lf you will come over to the photog-
raphers room Of the Department ] will show
you n sample Of some work women perform
Here" said the official, as he picked up a large
army payroll that looked Is Though il had
been a target for a Sailing gun, " is speci-
men Of the work that some of the lady clerks
do" -
.'T'hotograph that?"
"No; they are not photographers. This roll
is being photographed for some special purpose.
The ladies copy this and the copy has to be an
exact transcript OF the original, even to the
msspelllng OF words. You see this roll was
made % years ago. The paper is Of the worst
Kind, and as 1t was made up at the front you
can see the clerk didn't pay much attention TO
writing, and the soldiers were indifferent as TO
whether their signatures looked like their
names or not. Look at that" he continued,
docs that look like name2 Well, il is. Ii
Dr. meant for Augustus Scherweiner. This was
German company"
The reporter gazed at the peculiar hero
glyphics that were meant for words and won
dered how anyone could make them out. For
instance, mustered IN " was "mustarden," all
one word. and a soldier who was so unfortu-
Date ar 10 be compelled TO go 70 the hospital on
account of pneumonia has written opposite his
soldier was suffering with diarrhea and the
company clerk charged him with having
"krOnik darcy" Another who was granted
q furl0ugh on account Of neuralgia was accused
Of having knew ralga." The roll was filed
with such errors and the chirography was not
deciphcrable to any one but an expert.
That must be very tedious and difficult
work" remarked the reporter, as the clerk
placed ii on the table again, fearful that some
oi the tattered paper might be waited away by
the breeze from the window.
We'll, that ragged, carelcssly written and
badly spelled affair has 10 be copied by the la
dies in one Of the Bureaus OF this Department
The work is terrible on the eyes and requires
the closest application, as one error in the copy
might cost the Government hundreds of dol.
lars; and these ladies who do this work receive
from $s5 to $50 month, while clerks in the
War Department doing similar work, only not
90 difficult receive 500 and upwards"
DO the lady clerks often resign to get mar.
ried2"
81 might have known that was coming. ,
said the old gentleman scornfully. "You al
wind up with that. I've told You all about
what work they do, and now you want to know
about marriage. GO ask 'em. j don't know
And be turned around and began initiating 6
lot Of letters.
ILLNESS OF RECORDER TRoTTER
An unusual amount Of interest has been
aroused by the serious illness of Comrade James
A. Trotter the Recorder of Deeds for the Dis.
trict of Columbia. IL will be remembered that
this Office was held by Fred Douglass, and this
Tact seemed % impress the President with the
idea that II would be polite TO continue 9
colored man In IL. Accordingly, when Mr.
Douglass's resignation was asked for and re.
celyed, negro named Matthews, OF Albany
n. a. was appointed in his place. The Wash,
lngton people took great umbrage at this. for
cd liz 10. 4,
should be filed by a resident Of the District
Oi course there were abundance of lOca
candidates FOR tue place, and their sOreheaded
ness helped 10 fan the dissatisfaction against
Matthews. He was rejected by the Senate, and
aitor some delay the President appointed James
Monroe Ir0tier, mu lattO aud real estate agent
Oi Boston. There was the same clamor against
him, on account Of his being nonresident
but has character made him more acccptabl,
than Matthews was, the Senate confirmed him
and his critical illness has deveopt great lea
OF sympathy Tor him. Mr.. TrOtter is about 45
and u the son OF a Southern STAKEHOLDER anC
one Of his slaves. His father, who had foul
other children by the same mother, seems 1,
have had an unusual regard for his irregular
family, and forcseeng the cOming-on Of ia,
war, sent them 10 Ohio, where Trotter and Ia,
children were educated. When colored troop
were authorized young Trotter was among IA,
first TO enlist, and enrolled himself in the 55tl
1A"o-'f III winch ne served MltD much CrcCl
throughout its history. After the war he wa
appointed 10 place IN the Boston Postofiice
aud remained there for a number of wears. II,
has always been an earnest student and a,
achieved considerable literary reputation b,
the authorship Of a book entitled Music AMI
Some Musical People"
REvERsIs or FORTUNE
few weeks since an ex- Member Of Con
Rress who had not been much in Washington
Tor halt dozen years or more, made his reap
pearance here, and IL was not long before thOs
who knew him Of old discovered that time
had sadly changed with him. DC served sew
eral terms IN Congress as the Representative O
one oil the large cities of the West; a man O
handsome appearance, agreeable manners, ant
OF much more than ordinary culture. He wa
abachelor and great favOrite In society. HI
standing In the House was such that he wa
frequently called 10 the chair of the presidin,
officer, aud for short period served as Spealze
by election Of the House. After leaving Con
Rress he gave up his residence In the Stat.
which he bad served, and going 10 New Yorl
city established himself in a law parnershil
with an eX- Member from New York and an
other gentleman, who had also tasted deeply o